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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26347981">Can't you hear me? I'm not comin' home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Childhood Trauma, Damian Wayne Feels, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Damian Wayne is an adorable child, Damian Wayne-centric, Gen, Good Older Sibling Dick Grayson, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, no beta we die like jason</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:21:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,332</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26347981</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian is going to spend the rest of the evening with Grayson, until Titus destroys something by accident, resurfacing old traumas he suffered back in the League.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Damian Wayne, Titus | Damian Wayne's Dog &amp; Damian Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>171</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous, Gotham Square (Batfam Discord Fics)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Can't you hear me? I'm not comin' home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraKant/gifts">AuroraKant</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a gift to AuroraKant who's a wonderful writer, amazingly talented and a great friend. You should definitely check her stories out! Very recommended! They're absolutely amazing🥺💕 I hope you enjoy this story and to all the people who read it in the past I hope you can enjoy it more! </p><p>tw: hinted or implied animal abuse in the first scene (Damian's childhood), but it's not graphic or explicit. If you don't want to read it, feel please to skip the first scene and start reading from "There were many things Damian...." and forward! First chapter is major Damian centric and second will be Damian &amp; Dick! ❤️ (when Titus breaks something)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Damian was known for being brave. A positive quality deeply fomented here since an assassin couldn’t <em>fear.</em> But certain things that could still bring the deep feeling of terror within him.</p><p>Tonight was an obvious example of that, because now? Damian was afraid—judging by the rapid <em>thump thump thump</em> sound in his heart—what would happen next. He ignored every sharp sign of pain as he pushed past the discomfort and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, maintaining a swift and fast pace within the long hallways of the place he’d grown up in.</p><p>With every panting breath, Damian took, his eyes quickly darted to every corner or windows that could help him. To his displeasure, all he saw was brick and torches. Not a single element that could aid his escape.</p><p>His pulse quickened when he heard the footsteps of people getting closer, in the same pattern Damian had been trained to not let his enemies be aware of his presence. A thought appeared in his brain. Short and simple, but scary nonetheless.</p><p>
  <em>Grandfather knew of this, then.</em>
</p><p>The thing was, Damian didn’t want to take a chance. There was a clear and potent feeling of fear inside the boy’s mind. A fear that no child should ever experience at such tender age, but Damian had long learned (thanks to many rules the League had instilled in him) that fear could serve as fuel.</p><p>Damian only hoped this feeling would be enough to make him avoid one-person in particular. The person that was the reason his arms were covered in band-aids that strategically hid every punishment he had endured for failing to meet his expectations.</p><p>His superiors often told him countless times that his Grandfather only did this for his benefit. After all, disobedience was a sin and an offense to the League’s ways and Damian had committed a great one indeed. It had been a Thursday evening when it happened, just as Damian was jogging back to his room when he heard a pitiful sound.</p><p>It was no other thing than a cat. Probably the runt of the litter, Damian thought once he carefully inspected the creature hiding in one of the storage rooms. A kitten so small it could fit in one of his hands.</p><p>An animal Damian knew wouldn’t survive here. The League of Assassin could be many things, but it wasn’t lenient. Despite all the logical reasoning and the little voice inside his head warning he should have thrown the sick cat to the hound’s pen, he did something else.</p><p>Damian took him in.</p><p>And, now? He was paying the price, running from the inevitable fate that would play out. Just as he was about to change route and turn left, someone grabbed him from the sleeve of his tunic, sending him crashing to the floor. Pain bloomed throughout his arms and legs but Damian didn't care. He glanced down and his heart skipped a beat when he realized there was no small feline hiding in his arms. His lower lip trembled when Damian caught sight of where the cat was, now resting in one of his grandfather's men. The cat that had been weakly purring, woke up in confusion and meowed in question.</p><p>“Damian,” A voice spoke from the shadows and Damian gulped. Damian knew who it was. He wanted to plead for a reconsideration -despite knowing that pleading was prohibited-or anything that could convince his Grandfather.</p><p>“Grandfather,” Damian started but was immediately cut off when The Head of the Demon turned his head to the side and locked eyes with his grandson. The urge to flinch was strong, but Damian fought to keep it under control.</p><p>“Tell me, child.”</p><p>There was a brief pause, like the ones that could make the back of your hair rise. The smile his grandfather threw at him made Damian recoil back. It was the same smile his Grandfather gave that was solely reserved whenever one of his men failed him.</p><p>“Is this the reason,” He said and approached with all the elegance and power Damian wanted so desperately to have. The cat meowed in confusion. “You have been so distracted lately?”</p><p>The acrid taste of bile flooded into his mouth. His fist tightened, and Damian narrowed his eyes with as much hatred he could transmit. He wanted to close his eyes and call for his Mother and her protection; her soft words of encouragement and gentle touches and kisses that could make the worst nightmare go away.</p><p>Except this wasn’t a nightmare or a dream. This wasn’t a fantasy or an illusion, but the cruel reality Damian had been forced to live in. <em>It’s not fair</em>, Damian thought, wanting to scream and shout to the entire world. With a trembling hand, Damian wiped all the frustrating tears that escaped.</p><p>“Please,” He whispered, looking partially defeated at the small cat. It wasn’t fair. None of this was <em>fair. “Please.”</em></p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>There were many things Damian found odd about living in this city. Gotham was weird. <em>Definitely weird</em>, Damian concluded as he took a seat in the living room. The weather, for example, differed vastly from the one he grew up with. Or, well more specifically how people <em>reacted </em>to the weather.</p><p>A habit Damian had yet to understand <em>why</em>.</p><p>It was the primary reason Damian was—and the sheer gall to question the immune system of a direct descendant of the perfect Al Ghul line. He has been born perfectly well, thank you—confined to spend the rest of the day here, trapped under the pristine and elegant walls of Wayne’s manor.</p><p>For his own (and he quotes from the source itself) <em>“protection”</em>. He couldn’t help but snort at the thought of it. As if frozen pieces of water could compromise his health.</p><p>As if he, Damian Wayne Al Ghul, could fall ill due to<em> snow,</em> ah!</p><p>A good joke, and very funny except Pennyworth hadn’t been joking at <em>all</em>. It felt baffling having to hear Pennyworth’s reasoning. Damian knew he would have felt very insulted if Pennyworth hadn’t offered his baked snacks as an apology.</p><p>A treat everyone in this household knew and appreciated Pennyworth for.</p><p>With every munch and bite of the chocolate chip cookies Damian took pleasure in eating, his thoughts started wondering. Damian knew this amount of <em>obsessiveness</em> (or fuzziness, as Grayson liked, called it to which Damian would never understand the mechanics of. He was not a fuzz nor could he comprehend what the fuss was about) was not <em>normal.</em></p><p>Damian swallowed and swiped the chocolate chip crumbs from his lips, deep in thought.</p><p>Yes, it was not normal at all.</p><p>In all the years he had served and worked for the League, they had exposed Damian plenty of times to snow. In fact, Damian couldn’t remember if Mother had done a similar thing. The closest was when she bundled him in another layer of clothing when he had to go to his annual retreat.</p><p>So, to toss all of his experience aside and restricting his liberty for something so absurd as his “<em>health</em>”? —to which he knew it was perfect. He’d seen and checked even his health records behind Father’s back, twice. Unlike Drake, Damian had all of his organs and teeth in place—as if Damian could get sick for being exposed to the cold?</p><p>It was simply unthinkable, unbelievable, and inconceivable!</p><p>Behaviors like these made Damian think, from time to time, they were underestimating him<em> greatly</em>. He was the heir to his grandfather’s reign for a <em>reason</em>. Damian crossed his arms and pursed his lips a straight line. The only thing he got out of bargaining were two plates of chocolate cookies and the news that Grayson would accompany him later in the evening.</p><p>A habit by now that Grayson—he would <em>not</em> call him the other deplorable nickname, no matter how much Grayson insisted. Mother had taught him manners—dutifully followed. Damian glanced back at the old antique clock and crossed his arms when he saw the time.</p><p>
  <em>One hour late.</em>
</p><p>Damian huffed, swallowing the annoyance creeping to come. He didn’t know why Grayson took so much time traveling. From a statistical point of view, it made sense for Grayson to move back to Gotham and help his father here. Damian scrunched his nose in distaste. Taking so long in driving every day to visit him was not healthy.</p><p>Plus Damian was sure, based on the billions of vacant guest rooms this manor had, Father would have no problem in housing Grayson. In fact, he had found information the other day that perfectly explained how long hours of trafficking on a daily basis could endanger one’s health and Damian <em>knew</em> no one would appreciate Nightwing having health problems.</p><p>The vigilante community heavily relied on him. Nightwing was an important asset and member to fight crime. Therefore, it was important for Grayson to <em>move back </em>to—</p><p>The feeling of doubt appeared just as he was about to take another bite of the pastries. <em>Why would Grayson want to live here? </em>The biscuit fell to the floor but Damian barely perceived it. The feeling of insecurity began to claw its way in and Damian had to grit his teeth to not let his emotions show.</p><p>There had been multiple opportunities for Grayson to come back to Gotham. More than four times, depending on who you asked. Even Father had stated interest in Grayson coming back to live with them as well, but every time they touched the topic Grayson was quick to shut it down. Damian couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe it had to with him.</p><p>His fist tightened.</p><p>The worst of all is that he could perfectly understand why.</p><p>His father hadn’t stated <em>explicitly </em>but Damian knew his presence had changed things. It was why, amongst many others, Drake had stopped coming here (despite how much Pennyworth reassured him it was not, but Damian was not a blind boy).</p><p><em>We love and care for you, Damian, </em>Grayson had said to him some weeks ago when Damian finally gathered enough courage to talk what no one dared to speak about (the elephant in the room as Grayson had nicknamed it). Grayson wasn’t the exception. That evening Grayson gave him a smile but unlike other times it was tight and forced, with just the smallest hint of discomfort that made Damian want to backtrack.</p><p>
  <em>Give Tim some time Damian. He’ll come back, eventually.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He always wanted to have a little brother.</em>
</p><p>Damian bit the inner part of his cheek until he tasted blood. With mother, things were far easier as Damian knew his place from that start.</p><p>Gotham… was different.</p><p>It was filled with unspoken social rules Damian had a hard time getting the hang of. There was no yelling whenever Damian messed up here. No slaps to his cheek or thirty laps to run. Instead, Damian found himself facing only barely perceptible winces, frowns, quiet and disappointed <em>“we’ll talk this later” </em>tones.</p><p>It drove Damian <em>crazy</em> because those hurt far more than the physical punishment his superior put him through when he was younger. Damian groaned and hopped out of the chair, hoping that some pacing would distract him but a sound made him raise his head. A smile (<em>a rare event </em>as Drake would say) appeared on his lips when he caught sight of <em>who</em> it was.</p><p>“Hello boy. Did you behave well for Pennyworth?” He whispered, rubbing the spot behind Titus’s ear. “I know you’re fond of his company.”</p><p>It was one of the things Damian loved about here. Before Gotham, he had never been allowed to have a pet. <em>A major weakness</em> his grandfather had stated at the time because fondness could be exploited and used against him. And…</p><p>His hands briefly tightened on Titus’s collar as harsh and bitter memories clouded his mind.</p><p>A damp nose touched his cheek two seconds later bringing him back to reality but it took a while to center back. Titus’s head was tilted to the side looking at him curiously, trying to fathom what could have dimmed his master’s spirit.</p><p>“Titus I am perfectly fine. Cease your antics boy. There’s no need for you to worry,” Damian murmured but his voice sounded too strained and too unlike <em>him</em> for even Titus to believe it. “It was nothing. Just a bad memory, I assure you.”</p><p>A timid lick to his cheek brought a smile out of him and that was enough for Titus to fully charge, trying to erase all sense of sadness out of this master. He didn’t waver until Damian was left gasping and clutching his stomach for laughing so much. It was only a quick crashing sound somewhere near the main door that made both owner and dog raise his head up.</p><p>The reaction was instantaneous as Damian’s hands reached out to the nearest flower vase. No matter how much Pennyworth chastised him, Damian would never forget the first rule he knew by heart and mind.</p><p>
  <em>Never lower your guard.</em>
</p><p><em>“Stay boy,” </em>Damian silently mouthed and gently tip-toed to the door. His hands tightly clutched the vase in case everything went wrong. Damian had vowed to Grayson he would defend his Father’s home and honor his legacy. He held his breath and decided to throw the vase's content in the stranger’s face the minute the door opened, to confuse him. He'd hoped that would give him enough time to defend.</p><p>The uncomfortable silence was broken by a short laugh.</p><p>“Dami if you wanted me to take a shower and not hurt my feelings telling I smell,” said the stranger with a chuckle and wiped the excess of water dripping from his face with one of his hands. Damian’s eyes widened comically when he noticed that this stranger was no other than Dick. Maybe that was why he offered no protest when the other ruffled his hair.</p><p>
  <em>Oh no.</em>
</p><p>Dick grinned.</p><p>“You could have just said so babybird.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading and hope you have a good day! 💕</p></blockquote></div></div>
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